A pastor who admitted to sexually assaulting a teenager 20 years ago in Texas, received a standing ovation from his Tennessee mega-church congregation when he asked for forgiveness.
Andy Savage, a pastor at Highpoint Church in Memphis, made his remarks and issued his apology during Sunday services which were streamed live on the Church's YouTube page.
Savage's past was brought up by his victim Jules Woodson, who wrote about the incident on WatchKeep Friday. She says in 1998, Savage was giving her a ride home while she was in high school. He took her to a wooded area, unzipped his pants, took his penis out, and asked her for oral sex.
While Savage issued an apology, he did not discuss the details of the incident that he said he thought had been 'dealt with in Texas' at the time. The pastor concluded his remarks saying 'My repentance over this sin over 20 years ago was done believing God's forgiveness is bigger than any sin, and I still believe that,' to which the audience cheered.
However it was the final conclusion to his remarks that was met with a standing ovation. In closing, Savage added for 'Any painful memories or fresh wounds this has created for anyone, I am sorry and I humbly ask for your forgiveness, I love you all very much,' to which the audience stood up and roared in applause.
Woodson, who penned the heart-wrenching account of the abuse, told the New York Times she found the YouTube video of Savage 'disgusting' and said the incident was never properly handled.
At the time, Savage was a college student and youth minister at Woodlands Parkway Baptist Church in Texas.
Woodson, a 17-year-old high school senior, was a member of his youth ministry.
She clearly recalls one evening in Spring 1998 when Savage offered her a ride home one night after a meeting.
The woman writes that he drove past the turnoff for her house and instead drove down a dirt road with a promise of a surprise.
'I remember feeling special and excited,' she writes on the blog called Watch Keep. 'I assumed we were going to get ice cream.'
Instead, she writes, he drove down a dead end road, turned off the vehicle's lights, pulled his penis out of his pants and asked her to perform oral sex on him.
was scared and embarrassed, but I did it. I remember feeling that this must mean that Andy loved me,' she writes.
She also says that Andy asked her to unbutton her shirt and that he proceeded to touch her breasts.
